Sound Effective
by LeoOsaka Bakura's stalker
Summary: Some things simply need to wait until Miles Edgeworth has had his first cup of coffee for the day, especially when it comes to love interests and seriously persistent organized criminals out for blood. PxE Humor/Drama/Romance/Mystery
1. Space Cadet?

_A/N: I know I have other stories left incomplete and after years of leaving the writing scene, I wish to return to it with less deep attachments. Writing for the enjoyment I get and less for completion. Which is why this will be a very loose story in element. In case I cannot see myself going far too long, I can wrap it up without leaving gaps. _

_I love Phoenix/Edgeworth, I think they are adorable, and I swear to god they had to have been thrown in there for the fangirls. Even in one of the casebook manga, it seems like they're just asking to be paired. So. Here ya go. Enjoy._

* * *

><p><strong>Sound Effective.<strong>_  
>.1 Space Cadet?<em>

_Step_

_Step_

_Step_

_Pause_

_Step_

_Step_

_Step_

Twelve flights of stairs and fifteen minutes tackling them with a practiced efficiency.

At a distance, the dark haired man in the rich magenta suit looked more like the type to be catered to. What he didn't look like was a man who had just run up twelve flights of stairs with a briefcase in one hand and a Styrofoam cup of coffee in the other. There was zest in his step that sang confidence with every click of his heels against the marble tile, even despite his slight show of breathlessness from his morning workout of simply making it to his office door.

I'm going to have to request a lower office when I get too old to do this.

He shook his head and set his briefcase on the bench in the hall, questing for the keys to the office he'd exerted too much effort at seven in the morning to get to. He ignored the flirty plant in the hall that liked to stick its branches to him whenever he used that bench to set his case on. The reasoning behind putting a plant in the prosecutors' main hall was simply beyond his ability to reason. No amount of logic could make him happy to see the damned thing that was reaching out to love all over his briefcase and disrupt his concentration of just trying to get his keys.

This plant will disappear one day. And I will make certain no one has any evidence regarding it.

He brushed the stray leaves from his sleeve and straightened. He was normally not late and though technically he still was not, he felt like he was. Collecting his belongings, he moved for the door…only to be met with a familiar splash of blue and an obnoxious smile to assist it. "Excellent, you're the first thing I see this morning."

"Aw, I'm a thing?"

"More or less. What do you want, Wright?" A sigh escaped the prosecutor. He really didn't want anymore of that man's intersection in his already staple life. He enjoyed his life consisting of work, sleep, and six pots of coffee sneaked in between.

"Can't I just come and say hi?"

"At seven in the morning?"

"…It's not unthinkable," a silly nervous grin spread across the visitor's face.

"What do you want, Wright?"

"Edgeworth, stop being such a stick in the mud. But if I must. I think you should come to lunch with me this afternoon."

The prosecutor stared at him for a moment, his brain kicking into overdrive and mapping out at least six possible reasons for this request. He needed advice, he was broke, he was going to play a practical joke, Larry was involved, he needed a lift, or he really had nothing better to do.

This is ridiculous, where would I find the time for such trivial nonsense? Does he not have more pressing matters to attend to? To come to my office at seven in the morning? And clearly here prior to my own arrival…Of course, he took the elevator, so it is likely I was still here sooner than he. But…

"Hey, Edgeworth…are you still in there?"

"Hm?" He looked up, key still in the door, half turned. "Of course."

"You really are something of a space case, aren't you?" The silly grin across the man's face got wider, he followed his friend toward the office room. "Miles Edgeworth, World's Greatest Prosecuting Space Case."

"Phoenix Wright, World's Most Annoying Guest Prior to Completion of My First Cup of Coffee."

"Oh blame it on the coffee," Phoenix stood smugly, watching Miles blankly take a sip from his Styrofoam cup. "Is that even good for someone who just hopped 12 flights of stairs?"

"If my heart explodes, they'll blame you for murdering me. That's how this works. "

"Well, you would know, you get accused of murder every time you walk in a room." Phoenix shrugged, leaning on the doorframe to the office. "If you actually committed murder, I don't think anyone would believe you."

"…Keep that in mind, when you're trudging on dangerous territory." Miles set his briefcase up on his desk, looking back at the intruder to his morning ritual of being solitary.

Phoenix just waved him off. "So what about it? Lunch?"

"Still pressing for that?"

"Come on, it's not like I'm asking you to marry me."

"I would expect you on your knee if you were."

A chuckle slipped free, "Oh wow, you have a sense of humor underneath that mean scowl. You're twenty-six and you look like you're thirty-five from all the scowling."

"They call it, distinguished."

"Well, okay Mr. Celebrity. Care to loan some of your precious time to a commoner? Or will I have to take it up with you in Court until the judge sentences you to an hour of non-work related activity?"

"Augh….Fine. Leave me a text message as to what time you wish to meet and I'll think about accommodating you. Now get out of my office."

"That wasn't so hard, now was it~. See you soon!" Phoenix waved, beaming with whatever emotion they called that. Miles was certainly not going to be beaming that sort of expression any time soon, so it was not a necessary thing to know anyhow.

He travelled back across his office to shut the door and give himself the privacy he so desperate craved. People before coffee were catastrophic to his functionality.

_Beep_

_Beep_

_Beep_

His phone signaled the new text message and he emitted a sigh once more, leaning over the desk and finally and looking at the phone.

How could he have texted me already? This is simply ridiculous. I have work to do. Now I need to work in an hour to dispose of.

[Meet me at noon-thirty!]

Noon-thirty? Really? Noon-thirty…What is this… My thirty-five year mindset cannot compute this, Wright.

_Beep_

_Beep_

_Beep_

[P.S. I love you, Miles.]

_Thunk. _

Miles stared down blankly at the dropped coffee cup. He hadn't recalled letting go of it. But it was apparent he had. He didn't even move to pick it up. He stared at the text for another moment and then quietly slid the phone back into his pocket.

He sat in his chair and contemplated.

For a while.

"I must be a space-case, because I am missing something here." He conceded.

…**To be continued.**


	2. Slip

_A/N: Thank you to the two reviewers. I'm so out of touch with writing, I'm hoping this sets me back to it. Sorry for any typos. I'm sticking myself to write one chapter of at least 1000 words every night [lol maybe]. If I can build up my pace, maybe I can participate in nanowrimo this year. Ha. Oh, a lot of the characterization in this is coming from Edgeworth's behavior in his game. I notice he's a little...talkative to himself xD  
><em>

**Sound Effective  
><strong>_.2 Slip_

_Clack _

_Clack_

_Clack_

_Tab tab tab_

_Clack_

Several hours of steady work in front of the computer had been lost to frayed thoughts and cleaning up the coffee mess that he'd regrettably allowed to happen earlier. This was not his day at all. Like anyone, he had those days…but it was a lot more of a catastrophe when _he_ had them. He was collected, calm, and well planned in every action he did. Whether it be his work schedule or the precise time he'd sneak into the lobby to load up on more caffeine; he was prepared for it. He had a mental itinerary that he held on to like a child with a safety blanket. So when that itinerary was crashed by an unplanned event, he crashed in a similar manner.

Not that his peers could tell that he was running several dozen thought processes through his mind at once. He was the king of skirting out of social connections that weren't necessary. He ritualistically avoided every breathing creature in the building until after noon, when he usually couldn't avoid the lunch breakers in the lobby. It was at this time that he switched to the decaf tea provided, so the two ladies, who constantly tried to rope him into conversation in the break room, would stop telling him that too much coffee was going to lead to caffeine dependency issues.

They were too late. He'd even gone as far as drinking coffee from tea cups so they would think it was tea. He didn't need more attention over it than already.

Regrettably, his stunt of dropping his first cup had led him to break his perfectly planned day. Without any other option, he left his computer. He ignored the glaring incompleteness on the screen and swiftly disappeared from the room, treading the hall with the quietness of a ninja and determination of a man going through withdrawals.

_Beep _

_Beep_

_Beep_

Miles cringed at the loud beeping from his phone. It was as if it had broken his invisibility shield. He plucked it from his pocked and pressed the unlock key once more, viewing the newest text in the series of texts that he wasn't sure he wanted.

[Don't forget about me!]

"As if I could. You're harassing me, Wright." He grumbled, stepping into the lobby.

"Talking to yourself, Mr. Edgeworth?"

He looked up with a quickness that jarred him back to reality. The young woman had a smile that many men would probably drop to the ground for. He, however, took that as simple politeness and returned simple politeness with more politeness.

"I merely forgot my powers of internal dialogue, Ms. Davis." He bowed shortly and apologized for any disturbances he may have caused.

"Don't work yourself too hard, Mr. Edgeworth. You're going to be an old man by the time you're 30."

Miles snorted mentally, not willing to make that sound effect in front of another human.

Everyone seemed to think the same of his lifestyle. He'd heard, "you work too hard" every day since he'd returned and jumped right into the role. What else did he really need to do? Sure, he could gallivant across the country, but if there was no necessity, he didn't do it. His goal was to be an International Prosecutor. He didn't have time to rest.

"Thank you for your concern, but I assure you. I'm fine." He bowed, addressing his new cup of coffee with a simple breath of satisfaction.

"Are you busy this afternoon, Mr. Edgeworth?" She asked sweetly.

"Hm, yes actually. I have…an appointment with an old friend."

"Oh well, shame. I'd have asked you to accompany me, but I'll save that for another time."

He gave back a highly fabricated smile, "perhaps another time then. Have a pleasant afternoon, Ms. Davis." He bowed once more and excused himself.

"You too sweetie, and tell Mr. Wright I said hi!" She waved, having caught the name he'd spoken upon entering the room.

_Thunk._

His brain processed her statement in the worst way and it startled him, "Mr Righ…" He stopped and stared down at the second dropped cup of coffee, moving to quickly right it before it spilled any more from the Styrofoam cup.

"Oh, dear. Are you okay?" She moved from her seat, the legs scratching against the tile as the chair slid.

"I'm quite alright. It just slipped. No damage was done." He waved her off, exuding the usual haughty tone he didn't realize he had with everyone.

I should not have stayed up that late last night. This is getting ridiculous. Understandably so at his text, but this is ludicrous. Perhaps I should forbid him from contacting me any time prior to 2pm. He's bad luck.

He straightened himself out and remade his coffee, swearing that this one would survive until he drank it. Even if he had to bolt it to his hand.

_Beep _

_Beep_

_Beep_

[Oh yeah, let's meet at the café by 4th.]

"Stop texting me already." He hissed under his breath, pressing some buttons to reply to the text with his own. His pace slowed as he tried to text and walk back towards his office. If he was seen being obviously busy, perhaps people would leave him be.

He wasn't quite aware that people turned their heads even more to see him doing something so…normal.

[Wright, I'm working. Quit Texting me every 5 mins. Please.]

The phone was dropped back into his pocket and he felt somewhat silly for the fact that it took him that long to text a simple message, but he wasn't exactly sending texts left and right.

_Right. _

_Wright. _

_AUGH. _

He's the reason my whole day is out of sync. My perfectly planned day is frayed and it's his fault. If he could text me, why couldn't he just do that instead of harassing me at my office. Ah yes, because I ignore him otherwise and opt out of every activity I possibly can. Very coy, Miles.

_Beep_

_Beep_

_Beep_

[Ok ok, be safe [heart]]

Miles gripped his coffee cup this time, making certain it was perfectly in his grasp. He was bordering between offended and confused by Wright's flippant, lover-esque responses. If he was playing a practical joke, murder would be the last thing Phoenix Wright would have to be afraid of.

**To be continued…**


	3. Oblivious

_A/N: There will be drama/plot later on. These are simply introduction chapters. :D  
><em>

**Sound Effective  
><strong>_.3 Oblivious_

Miles took the last few stair steps in his trek back down to ground level. Once upon a time, that had been a tiring task; currently, he walked it off with little sign of fatigue. He sighed to himself and let the cool air flutter around him. He was not particularly thrilled to leave the building for an hour, especially not since he had to go back up the stairs after coming back from going all the way down the stairs.

_Beep _

_Beep_

_Beep_

[Waiting [heart]]

I hate you, Wright.

He snarled at his phone and shut the damned thing off. The only real reason he'd obtained it was so that he could contact Gumshoe at any given instant. For all intents and purposes, it was a work phone. He wasn't even sure if his cell plan covered texting. Actually, he wasn't even sure what his cell plan did over or what he paid each month for it. It was auto deducted from his bank account and he rarely had a need to fret about that. It's not like he was going to go out and buy a condo any time soon.

Begrudgingly, he obliged Wright in his silly need for his attention. He supposed he owed him. He supposed he didn't dislike his presence. He supposed he needed even the smallest fraction of a social life. But these things…they were never planned and Miles had a schedule so packed tight that he practically needed to bleed out his own blood to reduce swelling. Not that he ever did bleed his own blood. He wasn't uncouth enough to do such an act, on top of his own vanity of not wanting obvious flaws in his skin.

Several groups of people passed him on the busy walk. He didn't make a habit of walking anywhere out of his necessary bounds, so he took a subtle interest to people watching on the rare occasions that he did. He was always confused by the shifts in fashion in America. One minute its "cool" to wear stylish jeans with silly little jewels on them, the next minute it was "hip" to wear jeans that were intentionally made to look like they were too old to be worn anymore.

Miles was quite aware of how his European wardrobe clashed so painfully in California. This place was as far from any eastern influence as he could get. California was the edge of the world. Or so they sang.

"S'cuse me, cutie." A soft female voice echoed in his ear, after the lady had almost knocked into him. He didn't pay her any mind. She giggled as she passed him. He didn't understand it.

He never would.

"Hey Edgeworth!" He heard that voice. The one that belonged to the annoyance that had probably texted him every hour on the hour since 7am.

"…I told you to cease the irrelevant texting, Wright," He spoke after a moment of silence.

"Oh shush, and sit down already." Phoenix grinned from the seat under the sun umbrella. It was more logical to be seated out doors when it was nice and cool.

"Also, please be sure to let me know about any love affairs that we are participating in together before popping off with texts like the second one you sent me."

"But that's what I did, Miles."

The prosecutor twitched at being addressed by first name. "This joke isn't amusing. And I'd like you to be serious in regards to such flippant mockery of my love life or lack there of."

"I was being very serious, Miles." Phoenix smiled almost sweetly, "now sit down." He gestured to the chair across from him.

"You're intoxicated." He remained standing.

"I'm not! Dear god, Miles, are you really _this_ bad at accepting affection?"

"When you're screwing with me, yes."

"Are you saying you wouldn't mind if you believed I was serious? And I'm not screwing with you!..."

Miles could see the man resisting making a lewd comment about that. It was an excellent idea for him to remain unspoken as he had, because Miles was already in a terribly annoyed mood. He'd made some free time, to be mocked by the man who was constantly mocking him with silly gestures like this. He'd been on the receiving end of flowers, valentines, notes in his mailbox, and a plethora of other silly things that had been too ridiculous even for Wright. This morning, showing up at his office, sending him a love text and nagging him about their lunch "date" was the last straw.

"This has been taken too far, Phoenix Wright. If you think I'm going to let you make a mockery of me, then you will be seeing a sexual harassment suit in your mailbox." He declared, looking down at Phoenix from his standing position right next to the man.

Phoenix, in all of his smooth glory, reached out and grabbed one of Mile's arms, pulling the talking ice-cube down into the chair next to him. "Coffee?"

"Wright…"

"You're oblivious." He replied with a hearty laugh. Not at Miles's expense, but rather the facts around the whole thing. Miles was so dead set on work and nothing else, that he had no idea about anything involving people and affection.

"If you could be so kind to explain how," Miles gritted with annoyance, "I would much appreciate it."

"I've been trying to be discreet, but you're just not gettin' it are you? You're my best friend. You're actually the only person who connects to me the way you do. When you're not in a pissy mood [which is usually], you're such a pleasant guy."

"Pleasant?"

"Yeah, remember that time when we had the barbeque? You looked like you were having fun. You and Maya faced off on who knows more about Steel Samurai," Phoenix chuckled deeply, "You and Gumshoe did the barbequing too. You make a mean burger, Mr. Fancy. Even Pearly thinks you're a nice guy when you're not being a prude. You even caved to Larry challenging you to a race! I guess going that many flights of stairs builds up muscle eh? You run like a gazelle."

Miles blinked and found himself unable to be unpleased by the memory. It was a great experience. It was…fun even. But he had too much responsibility to allow that more often than every once in a blue moon. "A gazelle?"

"Yeah, you know. The African critter that runs like hell? Shoot, Larry is nothing but legs and you made him look slow."

"Okay, your point has been made sufficiently, but what does all this have to do with your silly actions, and crossing the line sorely?"

"The point is, you are a great person. You're just…hung up on thinking you're not, so you work until you drop and don't you even try to say that's not true. I've seen you sleeping in your office. I see the Miles Edgeworth that you're being stingy about sharing."

Phoenix's listener turned his head, his face hot from being the subject of the man's speech. He wasn't very good at being spoken about. He was very introverted in nature and had long since taught himself how to effortlessly brush off topics about him and make them into topics about anything else. Wright…wasn't very good at being swayed.

"Stop this Wright. You're offending me."

"I love you~"

"Wright…"

"Love you~"

"Phoenix Wright-"

"**Love**~"

_Bam!_

"Stop this nonsense, **now!**" Miles growled, his hand slamming on the table. "You are insufferable."

"And as I said, you're oblivious. If you were less oblivious, you'd see I've been dropping this at you for months."

"W…what?"

"I didn't send all that stuff to you for a prank…" Phoenix gave him a smug grin that he felt he was entitled to. After all, he'd made Miles Edgeworth lose his cool **and **stammer.

"I do not believe you."

"I will make you believe me, one way or another. Even if you reject it, at least I want you to believe I'm dead serious."

Dead is one way to put this, Wright.

**To be continued…**

_**A/N: Sorry if I laid it on thick with Phoenix, but I wanted this to be a "Miles doesn't believe anyone can love him and Phoenix is outgoing enough to take up the challenge of proving otherwise. Miles is a mess, and he's so much fun to hassle. **_


	4. Bachelor

_A/N: I'm actually managing to keep one chapter a day going. It's pleasing me!_**  
><strong>

**Sound Effective**_  
>.4 Bachelor <em>

Miles Edgeworth sat at his desk with a sizable migraine on top of a sizable collection of paperwork waiting for processing. The migraine hadn't come from the paperwork of course. That was a result of an hour spent with Phoenix Wright, who had officially made it clear that he was Miles's biggest admirer. This made his face red with frustration. Unnecessary commentary from the Defense Annoyance aside; he'd already had a hard enough time processing how his own mind thought about things. He had a hard enough time coming to terms with enjoying being near his friend.

Well, he enjoyed it up until Phoenix set out to humiliate him to death.

"Mr. Edgeworthhhh~" A happy voice echoed into his room suddenly, and Miles's migraine kicked into overdrive and laughed at his pain.

"Kay, you're not supposed to be here today. I have tons of work I need to do," he said sharply, his hand resting against his temple as the throbbing echoed in his ears.

"Oh come on, I can run errands for you, if you want!"

"You have nothing else to do at this moment, do you?"

"Nope."

"Go get me a cup of coffee."

"Okay!"

And she was gone.

That was too easy. Maybe I should lock my door now.

Deciding against it—for sake of future coffee—he let out a long breath. He wasn't sure who gave him more grief: Phoenix Wright's return as his rival…and so called admirer, or Kay…wanting so bad to be his sidekick until his brain leaked out of his ears from too much social activity.

He moved back to his computer. Miles Edgeworth and technology weren't the best of friends. He had a cell phone that was a couple generations old in model. His car was sleek and new, but it didn't have a built in computer screen with a disembodied voice telling him where to go. He preferred to read his information from books, read physical maps for his direction, and talk on phones that couldn't play Street Fighter 4. His phone could text, take calls and flip open like phones tend to do.

That was it.

_Beep_

_Beep_

"Nnngh…Don't start this again." He grumbled at the machine in front of him. The computer was spitting out weird windows all over the screen and he wasn't sure what he was supposed to do to stop it. This computer had been giving him a hard time since he'd obtained it from one of his fellow prosecutors. She had insisted he have an updated laptop in his office. He didn't find the need for it. She said he could take it with him as opposed to the desktop he'd fancied for several years.

Yes. Encourage me to take my work home. Then I can forgo sleep entirely and live on coffee until I die from a massive coronary. Actually, this is an excellent ide-

"Back!"

"Mmmph," came the only reply he had on hand for his thoughts being dashed as he clicked boxes and tried to formulate some kind of logical pattern to a machine that was simply too new for his tastes. He instinctively reached for coffee and was met with coffee. This caused him to actually look up. "Hm, thank you."

"You probably need to defrag it and restart," she smiled and pointed at the computer.

"If you need something to entertain yourself, have at it." He unplugged the machine, turned it around and pointed at chair for her to grab. "Keep out of my documents. I'll arrest you if you start stealing my information."

Kay hopped into a chair and pulled up to the laptop, lacing her fingers and stretching her arms in a twist to pop her knuckles. "It's not like you have any pictures of your girlfriends in here. Do you?"

"No Kay."

"Do you have a girlfriend?"

"No Kay."

"Do you want one?"

"**No** Kay."

"Have you ever had one?"

"**Kay.**"

"Yes?"

He simply pointed to the laptop and gave her a stern look. He acknowledged her silly grin and quietly went about reading and signing his required papers as she went about updating his machine to not beep at him every time it sensed his presence. Most of the papers were nonsense that had to do with confirmation of dates, testimonies, and court records. Much of these things were already processed by him once before, but they never failed to find a reason to make him write his name several hundred times.

He flipped through one of the packets and determined it to be better done at a later date. He'd need his laptop for research, because—unfortunately—the internet was the most up to date source. He quickly resolved to sort the entire stack before proceeding, making two piles until he came upon one sheet that fit in neither.

What is this?

_-Attention, Miles Edgeworth, Prosecution Division of California._

_I –Alanis Surset—of the __International Criminal Police Organization__ request a consultation with you, in person, regarding your position in the field of Criminal Justice._

_It was come to our attention that you have many great achievements in your career portfolio. These accomplishments spotlight positions to be considered for you; ones that will allow you further rights in the field of Criminal Investigation. _

_Please contact me via the email address printed, from your career email. Or you may fax me at the fax number listed below.- _

He stared at the paper for several moments. This was a letter from the Secretary General…of Interpol.

"Holy…" He breathed before he caught himself.

Kay looked up with a blink, "Everything okay?"

"Yes…well…I got a letter from the **International Criminal Police Organization**."

"Uh oh! What'd you do!" Her wide eyes attested to the fact that his words came out with the wrong intention. Generally speaking, people don't get letters from Interpol for good deeds. Not often, anyway.

"It looks like…a job offer," he concluded. "I've never considered a job outside of the courtroom, so why they would send me such a letter is outside of my range of understanding."

"Perhaps they were so impressed by your work with the investigation in the smuggling ring that they had to have you!"

"I am not even qualified to be an agent, as I do not have a Doctorate in Law, which they now require for someone of my background, much like the FBI."

"You don't?"

"Well, not yet. I've been studying foreign law as well, so I've only maintained a state side Bachelor's."

"Law is complicated."

"We can't all aspire to be criminals, Kay."

She made a face and him and click a few times on the button by the laptop's touchpad. The computer made more noise, whirred softly and she puffed triumphantly. "I fixed it."

"I'm in your debt."

"Oh hey. You have email!"

"Stay out of my email, Kay."

"It reads! "Hi my love…" …Oh my. You do have a girlfriend!" She gasped as he reached forward and snatched the machine from her.

"Stay out of my business." He was seething and flushed with embarrassment for reasons he was only sure of once he confirmed the email was from his wonderful friend.

Wright, I will kill you. To death. If you do not stop this nonsense.

"It's not that bad!"

"Go get me another cup of coffee."

"But I just did!"

"I drank it already."

"Really?"

"Go!"

She hopped up and darted out of the room with a mission and he went back to being in a foul mood.

_Click _

_Clack _

_Clack_

_Dear Phoenix Wright, _

_I'm going to be obtaining a restraining order on you tomorrow. _

_Signed, _

_Miles Edgeworth_

_Click_

The migraine planted deep into his brain as the email confirmed its delivery. Some people needed more to do in their lives than annoy him. He had enough to deal with already. Wendy Oldbag was still hot on his trail and Ms. Teneiro kept sending him hideous cards when ever she could.

At least Ms. Teneiro is easier on the eyes…

_Beep_

_Beep_

The computer flickered a moment before displaying the incoming email notice. With a certain dread he found himself clicking the icon to pull up the reply that came way too quickly for his own comfort.

_Miles, _

_Okay okay, I was just messing with you that time. Sorry if you feel like I'm being too forward. I'll stop. But I'm still serious. If you can find time, I'd like to invite you to the festival this week. I know you're busy. But even a time stingy guy like you can take a moment right?_

_Love, _

_Phoenix. _

Miles tapped on his arm with them crossed for a moment. He had to contemplate the next course of action. Perhaps if he obliged Wright, the man would quit the nonsense. But the reality was, it wasn't his logic making him think that. He did somewhat want to attend the festival. Being with a friend…his closest friend, was a pleasant bonus.

_Wright, _

_I will consider it. You will have an answer by tomorrow, perhaps. _

_Cordially, _

_Edgeworth._

That should suffice.

_Click_

Oops.

He hadn't meant to put "cordially". He was hoping Wright wasn't smart enough to use a thesaurus. He would certainly take that the wrong way.

**To be Continued…**

_A/N: Pfft lol. I'm making up law mumbo jumbo now. Well sort of. Part of the plot has already been dropped here. Hope you enjoyed! _


	5. Retirement

**Sound Effective**_  
>.5 Retirement<em>

"Thank you for agreeing to see me, Mr. Edgeworth."

He met and outstretched hand with his own in a polite greeting for the woman who appeared before him. Her graying hair was pulled back in a most pristine fashion, leaving her face open, showing bright green eyes and the wrinkle or two she sported. Her stance was solid and respectful.

She was a uniformed officer of Interpol and it was quite obvious. The air of discipline around her was a pleasant change to an unruly crudeness of some of the people who found himself in the presence of. She had a reassuring smile for him and a stack of papers in her other hand that were clipped tight. Her heels clicked against the tile as she walked around to be seated in the chair in front of his desk, while he took his own seat.

"I apologize that you had to come to me, I couldn't break away. I have court in an hour and too much to do just before to make it to a meeting location."

"Oh it's quite alright. When one wants something, one must be willing to compromise," she pointed in an upward gesture with her confident grin. "And I don't mean to be forward, but you're a catch that a few agencies have been setting out to contact after your last case."

"The smuggling ring?"

"Yes, and a few of the ones before it. According to our reports, your cases have a tendency to never even make it to court before confessions are called and sentencing deals are made in exchange for information on bigger fish."

"Well, Ms. Surset, I've been…personally thrown into many cases that have made me wiser in dealing with criminal intentions." He folded his hand over his desk, treading the conversation as lightly as possible, looking for a motive in her need to see him so…promptly.

"As I've heard…You've had people falsely blame you for tampering with evidence, murdering four people in different situations, and being an inside man in the prosecution office for the smuggling ring. All of which you managed to show your innocence of and find the criminal despite very…incriminating statements against you."

"You've done your homework. Though," he graced her with a slight smirk, "anyone with access to a TV could learn those things. It's apparent that I'm something of a celebrity according to my two… 'sidekicks'."

"Well, it's not everyday we have intelligent men in the prosecution actually putting away real criminals, while being fairly young and handsome on top of that."

Nnngh…did she just call me handsome? What is she after.

"So, tell me what I can do for you, Ms. Surset. You're here for a very specific reason."

She cast him a questioning glance and put a hand to her chin, "oh? And how is it you can tell that, Mr. Edgeworth?"

"Unnecessary flattery in hopes of my cooperation; urgent need for a meeting with me; papers bound tightly, when any one would know that a non-urgent matter would result in paperwork later, after a secondary meeting would occur; and finally, bringing forth statements about my previous cases, ignoring my losses without question and overlooking my arrest for refusing to leave a crime scene."

She blinked and dropped her arm, staring at him momentarily as if taken back by his words. "That is…most impressive, Mr. Edgeworth. Just from a small encounter. You are correct, I do have an underlying motive. However, above that…I do with a formal invitation for you into Interpol as a criminal investigations agent. You are undeniably brilliant. We could use a mind like that."

"Unfortunately, Ms. Surset, my niche is with the courts. But, I will hear you out on what you have to request of me."

"That is a shame," she let out a brief sigh, but continued. "We're on the trails of a complicated organized crime. One of which, threw your name up."

"My name?"

"Yes. A man you prosecuted for minor charges was released, and while we cannot prove it just yet, we believe he's in a much bigger plot now. He may also be intending to exact some sort of revenge on you by having you disbarred. Our sources have confirmed that there is some sort of plan being placed in motion against you as long as you remain in your position."

"I guess it's too hard to kill me, so just have me lose the one thing I do have in life. Seems reasonable."

"We want you to publically declare that you are stepping down and retiring."

"What?" He sat forward and placed his hands flat on his desk.

"It's a show, Mr. Edgeworth. We'll contact the trustworthy supervisors over you and have them in on it, so you will be reinstated without issue once this has been resolved. We'll train you in secret as an undercover agent for Interpol during that time. You will be able to investigate openly to anyone and you will have universal rank over any officer of the law locally with reasonable need. All we need is your cooperation."

Miles sat back and considered the situation. He'd much prefer not to have his job at stake because of someone with a bad grudge, but he also had a bad feeling that there was more to it than she was letting on. As usual, he considered the plausible options. "Well, I can see no other choice; however, will I be given more information regarding this? And what will I do in place of my work here?"

"You will be asked to act like a person who has actually retired from work. We will leave you encrypted messages for clues and information you will need. We also suggest that you adopt another location for a temporary home and perhaps find a suitable live-in associate to act as a testament to your decision to 'quit'."

"A lover, you mean."

"It certainly sells to the media better."

"Hmm…Perhaps I know of someone who could assist me in this act." He looked back up and folded his arms. "When does this all need to occur?"

"As soon as possible, preferably within three days. I apologize for this intrusion, I know this is sudden. This is the safest course for you, however. While the initial goal may be to disbar you, we're still not certain about other extenuating situations."

"And of course, hoping for future considerations for my involvement at Interpol."

"…I will be blunt, Yes."

"On the job experience as an Interpol Agent…Hmm, who knows, perhaps a mind can be changed?" A small curve graced the edge of his mouth and he unknowingly laid the charm on thick, enticing a more personal smile out of his guest.

"With many great hopes, Mr. Edgeworth. I will have to have your papers processed when you're trained with us, I was hoping for a full hire, but this will certainly have to do."

"Very well, I shall make my arrangements in advance. However, if anyone should have seen you entering my office, they might make some sort of conclusion about it, so I'll have to ask you to make a show leaving with a scowl and face of rejection, if you will." He grinned a little darkly, enjoying his moment.

"Oh, Miles Edgeworth, you're almost sadistic," she declared standing. "I shall make a note to make a loud announcement to my partner in the lobby about your rejection of my offer."

"Much appreciated, Ms. Surset." He stood also, walking her to his door and gracefully escorting her back into the more public area of the Prosecution hall. "You'll have to forgive me for not accompanying you back down to the ground lobby. I don't do elevators."

"It's quite alright."

He bowed and acknowledged her respectful salute and they parted. He quietly returned to his office and closed the door silently behind him. Considering the events of the week, he was wondering if he'd been having a nightmare. The previous day he'd spend fighting off a freshly announced admirer; today he was dropped into the middle of an international organized crime event that specifically called him out.

Speaking of admirers…I did promise and answer to Wright. I suppose I can't speak of this openly yet, but I'm guessing now this means I do actually have an opening to join him at the festival. He's going to take it the worst possible way, however…Perhaps I should arrange a meeting, and then give him my answer.

Reaching into his pocket, he brandished the simple cell phone and flipped it open. A new text message appeared, but he chose to ignore it in place of making a call.

_Beep _

_Beep Beep_

_Beep Beep Beep_

_Beep_

_Riiiiiingggg_

['Phonix Wright speaking, if you're calling to confess your undying love to me please press-']

"Wright…"

['I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I can't resist. It is unusual for you to acknowledge me with a call.']

"…Well…something has come up. And I need to meet with you, very shortly. You do have time, do you not? My…beloved devotee wouldn't dream of denying me a visit, would he?" He said with guilt inducing thickness.

['...You sick?']

"I suppose that's a no~?"

['Hurrr…Uh no! I mean…yes! Wait…'] There was a sound of something being dropped in the background and Phoenix perhaps jumping to save it followed by a nervous chuckle. ['Sorry, caught me off guard. You know, you saying things you normally wouldn't.']

"My apologies. It's very important, so can I count on your presence?"

['Of course. Did something happen, Miles?']

"No…Phoenix, I'm just going to need to explain this to you before you find out otherwise. I would regret to cause unnecessary panic for my actions in the immediate future. And since you're so neck deep into my personal life, I suppose it's in my best interest to share this news."

['First name basis…this is serious. What news?']

"I will share this with you when we meet, when would be an appropriate time for you?"

['How about…right now?']

Miles raised an eyebrow, "this very moment?"

['This very moment. You have me worried now.']

"…Very well. I will come to you."

_Click_

He hung up without another word, packing his things to leave, swiping his laptop and organizer on his way out.

**To be continued…**

_A/N: I hope this didn't sound….too stretched, but I had a plot planned for this, I just didn't know how to introduce it. Building up seemed to present the best opportunity. What do you think? I've been out of the writing scene for a while, so any consistency errors are being rechecked._


	6. Explanation

**Sound Effective**_  
>.6 Explanation<br>_

_Knock _

_Knock_

_Swish_

The door flew open and a barefoot Phoenix stared out with concern clearly etched in his strong face. He had his tie rested across the back of his neck, handing over his shoulders and his white shirt was untucked and slightly opened at the top. A messy sight, if Miles ever saw one.

"You look charming as ever," he remarked.

"And you're as gorgeous as ever," Phoenix shot back and enjoyed Miles's face contorting with a soft "Nnngh" sound.

"…Touché." He cleared his throat.

"Come in, Miles. You have explaining to do before my heart explodes from anticipation of this massive thing I feel you're about to toss on me." Phoenix held out an arm and waved him in, to which Miles followed promptly.

"I apologize for dropping this on you, but…it was just dropped on me as well. And I must start by saying, I really shouldn't tell you any of this. At all…but.." He stated, following him to the sofa located in the office space he'd come to in order to speak with Phoenix.

Phoenix too a seat first and patted the spot next to him, "Sit. Talk. You're freaking me out."

"I'm going to be making a public announcement possibly very soon. I'm going to be waiting on official paperwork and confirmation first, but I will be announcing my resignation."

Before Miles could continue his explanation, Phoenix popped up from his seated position to be standing, staring down at him animatedly while sputtering, "You…y…you can't **quit**! What the hell! I worked hard to get my badge reinstated and get back into the game so that I could work with you. We were going to turn this system around! Don't you remember what I said?"

"Wright, hold on a minu-"

"If you quit, I swear to god I may strangle you! Last time…last time you had this attitude…you disappeared. I may joke about you working too much, but…I don't mean you should quit…"

"Wright…This isn't like last time…"

Miles cringed. Last time, as Wright was referring it, was when he'd made the decision to write a note proclaiming the strong suggestion that he'd gone off and committed suicide. At the time, he had actually been so very close to making that reality…that was why he wrote the note after all… But the one thing that kept him from doing it was Phoenix Wright. He could never accept the last image his friend would have of him was that of a coward.

"Then what, Miles? What? You've lost your mind!"

The prosecutor shot up from his own seat and stared dead even with him, "Phoenix! Calm down, this instant. I came here to tell you…for a reason. I even ducked out of Court to come see you. I'm not the same man I was before. You and I are both certainly aware of this now. I would never come here to intentionally upset you. I just…at this point, I have to do this."

"What do you mean, _have_ to?"

"I received a letter from Interpol and I had a brief consultation with the Secretary General, who found this matter important enough to come to me personally within twelve hours of responding to her letter. Originally she asked if I would take a job as an Interpol agent. I declined. She then expressed her real reason for the visit. Apparently, one of my previous cases involved a man who is now part of a bigger potential Crime Ring. He was convicted of a minor charge and was released not to long ago, from what I gather."

"So…what does this mean…he's after you?"

"Well, according to her…he is to a certain extent, after my job. She told me the there's a possibility that he may try to get me disbarred. I think there's more to it, but for now, I don't know. The point is, she asked me to publically declare my resignation and early retirement from law and act as a temporary undercover agent in order to figure this out. I have a feeling it's not that easy, but I can only go along with it. Not only does she have authority over me, but she can pull the strings to make it so I can simply walk back into my prosecution position once this has cleared."

Phoenix sat back down and took a breath, digesting all of the information he'd received. "Suddenly I feel like an ass for giving you a hard time…But, I'm here for you if you need my help at all."

"You said you're serious about your supposed feelings for me."

A sigh escaped, "Not supposed…real. And I am serious."

"How far are you willing to go to prove it?"

"I'd quit my job right now, if you asked."

"…Ahem…that's not necessary. But, the Secretary General did suggest that I make alternate living arrangements and find someone to live with for the time being…As…terrible of an idea I think this is, I believe you're the best option."

"I knew you loved me!" Phoenix leaned forward and suddenly pulled Miles into a bear hug.

"NNnnngghhhhhhh, It….burns…." Miles gritted like he was being electrocuted by the touch of another living creature. "Let go….you monster…" He squirmed and used his foot to press against Phoenix's chest, exerting flexibility he wasn't aware he was capable of.

"You want me to live with you~! I'm happy!" Phoenix leaned forward as Edgeworth's balance shifted due to his attempted protest. He wiggled and tried to hold his place with his arm, but he was pinned in the slightly bigger man's grip.

"Hey! HEY! I'm falling, you incompetent-"

_THUD_

_Thunk_

"Uhnnnnngggh…"

One leg remained on the sofa seat, the other three were in a twist heap on the floor between that sofa and the coffee table. Miles shifted under the weight of his friend. Phoenix wasn't hard to get mad at, but he was hard to stay mad at; so when Phoenix started to laugh. He started to laugh too.

"You are insufferable," a soft chuckling voice finally filled the otherwise wordless room.

Phoenix leaned back a little, looking down at his friend with a confident smile. "I'm insufferable, but you don't mind it. Admit it."

"I mind it. Absolutely mind it."

It was no use, because Miles had a barely contained smile too.

"I will help you no matter what. I came back for you," Phoenix pressed his cheek to Miles' and breathed deeply, "Fifteen years I waited to see you, underneath everything we've been through in the past few years."

The man beneath him turned his head slightly, trying to hide the heat that was pooling in his face. His skin tingled from the body to body contact and he had to concentrate on keeping his breath even enough to not freak out at the invasion of privacy and the fact that he didn't understand why his heart skipped a beat. "…S…stop joking around," he finally managed to choke out.

Phoenix sat back with a grin, holding and arm out to help Miles sit up. He brushed his fingers back through his hair, correcting any misplaced strands, ensuring his slicked back spiky hair remained its usual shape. "I'll admit, this situation seems pretty…far out, but considering who you are. It sadly sounds plausible. In all seriousness, I will be there as much as you need. Maybe I can even help."

"Yes, well…I'm sure being a celebrity has something to do with why everyone is out to pin a crime on me, kill me, or get me fired," Miles said blandly, only then noticing he was sitting between Phoenix's knees and leaned exceptionally close to him. He inched back into safe distance with this thought.

"You know, I think you're the only attorney in the universe that people actually consider a celebrity," Phoenix laughed and brushed the carpet fuzz from his white shirt.

"Ask me if I think it makes sense."

"Do you?"

"That was rhetorical."

"Well, now you have to answer."

"Truly?"

"Truly."

"It does not make one iota of sense," he finally answered, standing back up and stretching. He frowned at the fresh wrinkles in his suit, but he supposed it didn't matter much anymore. His near future presented the possibility of Miles Edgeworth having to act…casual. "Oh, but the way, I do believe I found time to join you on the festival."

"Excellent!" Phoenix popped up and clapped his hands together. "You'll have to let me know what day. Well, you'll have to let me know a lot of stuff. But…please keep me in on it. I can help."

"I know, Wright. I know. I wouldn't dream of hiding anything, lest you molest information out of me." He gave him a 'tell me I'm wrong' look and folded his arms.

"On second thought, you can play hard to get…"

"Wright."

"I'm kidding!"

"Good, it wouldn't benefit me to get a restraining order on you. I'll phone you tomorrow with any of the other details. I'll pick the location, you just have to bring yourself. I don't think you could afford my tastes on your salary, so allow me."

Phoenix made a short huff and folded his arms, "You are a cruel mistress."

"I bite harder than I _bitch_, Wright."

He took great satisfaction at the surprised look on the Defense Attorney's face.

**To be Continued…**

_A/N: Edgeworth is deadly efficient. I bet ten dollars he can do everything I do in my day in the span of 30 minutes by multitasking. LOL. Anyway, let me know if I stray out too far. I'm still a little unsure of myself in this fandom, but I'm tryin!_


	7. Accusations

_A/N: I noticed some errors in previous chapters, I will be working to comb through and fix them as I go!_**  
><strong>

**Sound Effective**_  
>.7 Accusations<br>_

"Thank you for coming along, but you really did not have to."

"Oh come on Miles, I may not have a fancy office here, but I've been here enough times to not be a stranger."

Miles let a short breath escape. Three days following the Secretary General's visit, he was back in the courthouse, but this time he wasn't there to slam his desk and yell objection. Neither was Phoenix Wright.

He'd received all of the paperwork he'd needed via messenger and with more instruction given to him by encrypted messages, he'd come to find that the "news" had already been intentionally leaked. He'd only been haggled by a reporter or two on the way in that morning, but now that he was exiting the same building several hours later and no longer officially employed as a prosecutor, he had a feeling they'd be waiting for him.

"I wish I knew what these people were so interested by. I'm just a state attorney." He muttered, not really aware that he'd said it as loud as he had.

"Well, look those Law and Order type shows. People love those and you kinda fit in that bill of being super smart, super good looking and with a traumatic past that screams, 'hug me!' People love that stuff."

"I do not exude 'hug me' in any sense of the sentiment, at all. Ever."

"Oh you're just not aware of it, that's all." Phoenix prodded him and moved closer when the now "ex-prosecutor" tried to move away.

"Poke me one more time, Wright, and so help me…" he growled and dodged another poke to his side.

_Click_

_Click_

_Click_

_WHIP_

"MILES EDGEWORTH!" A loud harrowing female voice echoed in the hallway, not even twenty feet away from the exit. This voice belonged to the one person he was hoping he wouldn't have to be face to face with to discuss this…resignation. "What is the meaning of this?" The woman bellowed, the whip in her hand cracking the floor.

"Franziska. Please keep your voice down. We're in a government building."

"How dare you! You foolishly foolish fool!" She pulled her whip taut before lashing out and cracking it in the direction that Miles was standing…about that time he'd moved to duck behind Phoenix, that is.

"Franziska, stop this nonsense!" He said, his back to Phoenix's, not moving from the shadow of the—thankfully—bigger man.

"Y'ow! Hey, come on now, I'm not the one who did it!" Phoenix cried, his arms covering his face from her next lashing.

"You are a disgrace to the von Karma name! You…you…you are a despicable filth! How dare you simply quit? What kind of man are you, Miles Edgeworth!"

Miles jumped at the next crack of her whip and grumbled, "I'm thankful I don't have to be the man that marries you."

"What was that?" She vented loudly. "Miles Edgeworth, you are a shame upon the von Karma name! I do not accept this!"

"You do not have a say in this Franziska," Miles said carefully, not wanting to be whipped to death, or…not wanting Phoenix whipped to death just yet.

"You! You…You fool!" She held her whip in both hands, tightening it in her hold and letting it snap as it cracked against itself. "Why would you do this?" She was back to full screaming. "It's because of this man, isn't it?" She pointed accusingly at Phoenix, snapping the leather weapon at him. "I never would have suspected this sort of crude judgment of you Miles Edgeworth!"

"Crude ju—Franziska, you're taking this out of context!"

"You chose this…common and unrefined man over your career! You could have had—"

"Franziska! Stop this! You're making accusations that are baseless!"

"Any girl in the world as well as your career and you choose this…MAN!"

"People can hear you, damn it, be quiet!"

"You quit your career for the sake of this man, and now you hide so pitifully behind it? You are reproachable! You and your sinning lover!"

_Smack_

That was the sound of Miles's hand instinctively swinging up toward his face and hitting his forehead in despair. Leave it to Franziska to make the worst assumption in her rage and leave it to her to pick the worst possible time and place to do it. "Franziska, you are wrong and it would benefit you to have your facts before throwing out wild accusations."

"You are dead to me Miles Edgeworth!" She screamed and made an attempt to stop back out, taking her heels into consideration before cracking her whip against the tile floor.

"She sure likes to use your full name a lot when she's mad at you…"

"That's how she is…This is not how this was supposed to go down...Excellent, now the entire populace thinks I've been tainted and you're my secret lover," Miles sighed for what felt like the hundredth time that day, leaning his weight against Phoenix as they were still back to back.

"If only."

"Phoenix Wright, if you don't wipe that grin off your face…"

"How could you tell I was smiling?" Phoenix blinked and glanced over his shoulder to see Mile's turned face. His faded dark hair brushed against his cheek and his smile only seemed to get wider.

"I know you…" The man said with distain before standing straight and moving from Phoenix. "We better leave as quickly as humanly possible. I really do not want to have to answer the questions I know they're going to ask now."

"Why don't you just tell them you're gay and that I'm your lover~?"

"Because you are not my lover," Miles answered factually, folding his arms and casting a cold glare at Phoenix, who seemed actually more pleased than he should for the answer that was given.

"So you are gay?"

_Snap_

That was the sound of Miles's focus completely breaking before shredding itself in a mental blender. He had not expected that retort and he knew he should have covered for that one, but he was avidly against lying so he chose the only answer he knew… "I…nngh…shut up."

Phoenix leaned closer to him to get a full view of the face Miles made. It was a mixture of embarrassment and surprise. "Wait…are you actually…"

"Excuse me! Mr. Edgeworth!" An unfamiliar voice called his name and he looked up to see the young woman approaching with an obvious media ensemble. They had gotten close enough to the doors that she was able to make way toward them.

Excellent, just excellent.

"Is it true, Mr. Edgeworth? Did you resign from the Prosecution of California?" She asked, as if what he had to tell her had any actual importance to anyone else.

"Yes. I did," he begrudged a response, rubbing his temple from the impending migraine that had been started with the dear sweet Franziska decided to storm in and screamed at him without even considering that perhaps there had been a method to the madness. He should have known better considering she wasn't very patient and did have a tendency to let her "perfection" slip to the point of her logic being the only thing she thinks is real. How she could have logically implied he and Phoenix were backseat buddies was beyond his understanding, he'd made every effort to even avoid calling the man by his first name. How she'd made conclusions of him being gay was another eye brow raiser.

Unfortunately it was true that no female attracted him in that manner. His mind only saw intellect and there were far and few between who could even stand up to him these days. None of which he'd be interested in a courtship with. Franziska was intellectual…but she was like his snobby little sister, though he supposed he was a bit of a snob himself sometimes…he just found her to be exceptionally…worse.

"Is it true that you and Mr. Wright have a relationship?" The reporter nosed her way back into his attention.

"What business is it of the public's what I do with my free time?" He replied to her question with a question of his own.

"You're a very significant icon to the people of California, Mr. Edgeworth. You've put dozens of criminals behind bars; the people of California are in your debt."

"Well, tell them I said that they're welcome. But my personal life is still my personal life," he avoided eye contact with her or the camera behind her, thankful that Phoenix was clued in enough to know to follow him at about that moment. He did not want to leave the courthouse alone. Not with the group of people waiting outside the courthouse itself.

"_Mr. Edgeworth, is it true that you're in an affair with Mr. Wright?"_

"_Mr. Edgeworth is it true that you're gay?"_

"_Mr. Edgeworth, are you leaving so that your job won't conflict with your lover's?"_

"_Mr. Edgeworth is Mr. Wright your lover?"_

One after the other, he tried to gently press them back, but they were being suffocatingly intrusive that even Miles had a snapping point.

"Miles, take it easy." Phoenix whispered to him, taking his arm and dragging him past the ones trying to pry into the man's life.

"_Mr. Edgeworth, why did you quit being a prosecutor?" _

He sighed and put his face in his hand, "Listen up, everyone who needs their news report. I quit for my own personal reasons; all of which do not need clarifying and may or may not include known speculation. If you wish to make your stories off of counterfeit information, be my guest." He waved, and then he took Phoenix's hand and dragged _him_ along toward freedom.

"_Mr. Edgeworth, does this mean you're single and available now? The ladies would love to know!" _

"_Are you interested in the dating scene, Mr. Edgeworth?"_

"No I'm not interested, and I'm gay! Leave me alone!" He blurted with a panicked thought and yanked Phoenix along with more force than he knew he had. The reporters backed off with surprised murmurs at his outburst. Social situations honestly overwhelmed him. Massive crowds of watching eyes honestly **scared him**.

He pulled Phoenix until they got to his car. He opened the passenger's side door and pushed Phoenix closer, stuffing him into the car before slamming the door and making his way to the driver's side. He opened the door, got in, and slammed his own door. The locks clicked as he hit the lock master key and he gripped the steering wheel for a moment. "What did I just say…to a media news network?" His knuckles were turning white.

"That you're gay."

"…I was afraid you'd confirm that. Augh. I was trying to think of something to say and the conversation with you was fresh on my mind," he mulled and started the car, driving out as soon as he was clear to.

"If it makes you feel better, they did back right off when you said that. But, I think that probably went better than denying it after Franziska ran out seething about 'our sinning ways'. No matter how you look at it, a misunderstanding was going to be made. At least that made it less….controversial. No one cares when a celebrity is confirmed gay, they only care when there's speculation."

"I hate it when you're right."

Phoenix grinned again, "You must always hate me."

Miles flashed a look at him, the stress dissolving even if just for one moment, "You are the worst comedian I've ever come across. Shame on you."

"So back to the question at hand, are you?"

"Augh, Wright, you're worse than the reporters," Miles made a face. Phoenix noted that—despite this man's coldness—he was very expressive, just usually not for the things you would expect him to be expressive of. He had scowl lines around his eyes that Phoenix thought were actually so very charming.

"Well come on," Phoenix leaned back in the seat, his hands behind his head, "I just want to know if I have a fighting chance here."

A long moment of silence passed, a song on the radio played through and the crisp air turned damp and it began to rain until the water drops pattered against the windshield steadily. Miles finally decided to answer, "Nothing is impossible."

**To be Continued…**

_A/N: It's painful how much I relate to Miles. I just wish I were as successful at everything I do as well. Instead, I'm just emotionally stunted __**and**__ talentless XD. Thank you for the reviews, to those following! I'm enjoying this challenge and I've made it a week with constant writing! I'm proud of myself. _


	8. Addiction

**Sound Effective**  
>.<em>8 Addiction<em>

_Swish _

_Thud_

_Thunk_

There was a racket going on as Phoenix dove into Miles's wardrobe. He was on a hunt for something he could throw on the man that would look casual…Casual by normal people's standards. He'd had an idea that he was trying to work around, but it was exceedingly difficult with the extremely limited amount of material. It wasn't that Miles had no clothes—he certainly did—it was just that he had no clothing that was considered casual. Everything he wore save for sleep clothes was probably more expensive than his car—possible exaggeration on Phoenix's part. The point remained the same, Phoenix was stumped.

"Do you even own a pair of sneakers?"

"No."

"T-shirts?"

"No."

"Shorts?"

"No."

"A social life?"

"No."

"Are you even paying attention?"

"No."

"Miles!" He shouted and Miles finally turned around. "Your wardrobe is just not going to do."

"I knew you had this affinity for me, Wright, but I didn't know you came with the gay stereotype as well."

Without skipping a beat, Phoenix held up a pair of sleep pants that couldn't be described any other way than _pink_. "Stereotype, Miles?"

Miles pointed at him in the same manner he did in court when defending his point, "I will have you know that pink is a manly color. Any man has to be secure in himself to wear pink. You would know, your tie doesn't tell lies."

Phoenix looked down at his…hot pink tie and then looked back up, "Touché. But that's not the point. I can't do anything with this. We need to buy you normal clothing. Like…anything. Black tennis shoes, black slacks and a button up of your color choice will do! Not anything extreme."

"So, I can have a bright hot pink button up shirt, and you would offer no protest?"

"Okay, not pink."

"I suppose I can oblige you…We should have done this earlier." He mulled.

"Yes, but you had to disappear for three days."

"I already told you, they had to train me on the most mandatory things regarding this temporary agent business."

"Which you don't tell me anything about…"

"I'm not supposed to, Wright. And you know the two days before that neither one of us was willing to leave the condo because of the media."

…So much for not buying a condo any time soon.

"That's because everyone thinks we're sleeping together."

"We did sleep together."

"I…" Phoenix stopped his initially crude statement due to laughter. "Hahaha, Miles when I say 'sleeping together', I don't mean literally. That's what us young hipsters say when we're trying to skirt around the word 'sex'."

Miles made another expressive face and coughed in embarrassment, "Well…That's ridiculous."

"You're so damn adorable."

_Swish_

_THUNK_

"Hey!" Phoenix whined loudly, rubbing his forehead, "Did you just throw your shoe at me?"

"I did." Miles folded his arms and stood straight, his one shoeless foot making him slightly off center. "Now, let's go before I change my mind."

"Okay!"

"However, I have one stipulation to this," he said, waiting for Phoenix to provide his full attention. "I need coffee first. There's a Starbucks a couple blocks away."

"Coffee? It's like…Three in the afternoon."

Miles walked over to Phoenix and stood directly in front of him, presenting his hands up so Phoenix could see both of them. Phoenix could see the slight trembling in the man's hands and he took one of them in his own hand. "You're shaking like a leaf."

"Because I haven't had coffee since I left. I begrudgingly admit to a slight caffeine addiction and I must feed that addiction before I turn into a massive _bitch_." He moved to put his shoe back on his foot.

Phoenix snorted and almost choked at the deadpan manner he'd said that. Perhaps the idea that the word _bitch_ could even come out of that mouth was what made the concept so damn hilarious. This was, however, his clear cue that Miles wasn't just making up stuff, he was caffeine deprived to even speak that way. Of course, somehow this didn't surprise Phoenix in the least. Miles worked 26 hours out of the day and had to stay awake some how.

"Fine, I can agree to that, but how about iced coffee. That's caffeine loaded and isn't going to screw with you on a hot day."

"Acceptable." He pointed toward the door, determined, "Coffee. Now."

I'd even accept Tea at this point.

Phoenix grabbed his coat and shoved his arms through it, following Miles out the door, flipping the lock on the way out. "Do you have a place in mind after coffee?"

They descended the stairs, side by side. "Yes. I buy all of my clothing from one place, and I'm certain I can achieve your desired effects there."

"You mean the place where you pay six million dollars for socks?"

"You are awful at sarcasm. Simply…repugnant," Miles waved offhandedly, taking the last step, and reaching out to grab Phoenix by the arm before his friend took a face dive from the height difference of that last step. "You will never remember that step will you?"

"Who the hell builds a staircase with one step deeper than the others?"

"Someone who knows how to walk efficiently," Miles snorted leaving him behind until he popped to attention and caught up.

Miles's red sports car was parked at the end of the condo's drive. Phoenix had to admit, that was a hot little car. At first he thought that car looked too…small for Miles. Miles wasn't a huge man by any stretch, but he was tall and lanky. Sitting inside the car however, it seemed like it was made for him. There was plenty of leg room and it screamed of a style that went so well with the prosecutor. The dashboard and panels were all sleek and shined back, the leather interior was unscathed and the car some how maintained a pleasant lemony scent. He had been slightly afraid of how low the car felt at first, but seeing how well mannered Miles was driving, he felt perfectly safe.

The car pulled out to the street and cruised effortlessly down the roads, in the direction of Miles's addiction. "I'll just hit the drive-thru. Do you want anything?" He asked when they finally pulled around the building to the crackling speaker box.

"They have lemonade? I can't really drink coffee unless it's in the morning."

"I think they do," Miles replied before he heard the lady through the speaker asking him for his order. "Good afternoon," He said smoothly, "I'd like to get a venti iced coffee, no cream and easy on the sugar, if you would. And a venti plain lemonade."

[Oh, Hi Mr. Edgeworth! Pull around, we'll have it ready for you.] The voice returned and Miles slowly turned his head to look at Phoenix who had a smirk and a comment quickly ready.

"So, they know you by voice alone, eh?"

"Be quit, or I will kick you out of my car," He quipped back, pulling around and dropping the visor to brandish his debit card for the girl to take.

"And you keep your debit card in your car? Isn't that dangerous?"

"Only one of them, I have the other cards in my wallet."

"You are a serious addict aren't you?"

Miles made motion to protest, but he was cut off by the cashier returning his card and presenting them with drinks. The driver handed over the lemonade to his passenger and took his own drink and put the car back in motion, brandishing the straw by pulling the paper off with his teeth. "I can quit any time I want," he muffled in between his attempts to get the straw in.

"Pfft… Your sense of humor is alarming because it actually exists," Phoenix teased and took the man's drink after securing his own between his knees. He quickly worked the straw into the cold coffee and returned it.

"…This pacifies me greatly."

Miles hated to admit feeling better by the intake of a liquid substance. For many years he'd lived on liquid energy and he'd simply built a need for it. Well, he wouldn't say need…he could actually let it go, but he did not want to. He did take delight in tea as well, to ease up on the coffee; but sometimes he felt he could not function without it. In a way, he was comparing it to a smoker's "need" to make themselves feel placated by their drug of choice.

The car cruised down the familiar streets and when they approached the large, multi-story building, Miles handed off his drink to Phoenix, so he could show his skills in the art of parallel parking. It wasn't really hard at all, but for some reason people seemed to really fail at the concept. Just turn the wheel…one way, move the car in reverse, then turn the wheel all the way the other way and move it. It wasn't rocket science.

"I thought you were gonna ride up on the sidewalk for a second there."

"Don't be crass. I do nothing without perfection," Miles said smugly, shutting the engine off and reclaiming his liquid happiness. "Now, let's get this out of the way, because I can think of a hundred better things to do than use me to play dress up." Two unimpressed eyes glanced over to Phoenix.

"Hey, hey now. I'm not trying to do anything funny. Maybe…But you do gotta try the stuff on, you know!"

As if this trip wasn't already degrading enough already.

"Hmph," was the only response to that as the man got out of the car and waited for the passenger to follow suit. "I suppose I shall have to force you into something less….blue…and…cheap," he said snidely.

"Words hurt," Phoenix pouted and sulked along; looking back over his shoulder for a moment at the strange itchy feeling he'd had there. 'That was weird,' he thought to himself. 'Felt like we were being watched.'

**To Be Continued…**

_A/N: Necessary filler chapter for the massive plot attack you will get next chapter. It should be good. Thank you for the responses guys! I'm so glad to be cruising along with this story. My inner writer is happy for this practice. _


	9. Shot

**Sound Effective**_  
>.9 Shot<em>

"Blue or green?"

"Purple."

"Purple, Miles? Purple? Will you just try on one of these colors? You're always wearing a color similar to purple. You need variety. Besides, I think blue would bring out your eyes."

"You said I could pick a color," Miles pointed at him with great protest. He hated this sort of thing. Not because shopping was such a chore, but because he hated feeling like he was on display. No one would really notice as much of a change if he stuck with close colors. Well, that's what he'd been hoping anyway. He wasn't counting on that, because lately everything he seemed to do had him gathering attention. He'd noticed there was some guy watching them before. He'd seen this man in three different places before they'd arrived at the department store. He had a feeling a private investigator was checking him out in hopes of catching him in the act with Phoenix. When he reported this to his new superiors, they seemed to think it was unconnected to his situation, but told him to be very cautious.

He'd had the sneaking suspicion that Phoenix had caught on to that feeling of being watched. Miles made a goal to never leave the condo alone unless he absolutely had to. He wasn't necessarily afraid of being ambushed; but he was afraid of putting Phoenix as risk too.

After he'd gotten a chance to sit down with all the information at hand, he'd come to realize the situation was bigger than he thought. He was the one who got a guilty verdict on a man named Kimberly Clark. He'd also been the one who broke up Clark's small gang of misfits with his investigations. According to the evidence, some sort of uncaught human trafficking ring had been reestablished. Human trafficking. What a horrendous thing to even consider. If Clark was actually somehow behind the 23 missing girls that had been reported, then he would do more than just a handful of years in prison.

All these thoughts floating around in his head suddenly made him more paranoid than before. It was no coincidence that they were being watched. No one seemed to think anything of it. When he'd told Agent Lang, the annoyance that had been specially assigned to train him quickly and assist him in catching this cross nation trafficking problem, the man had brushed him off as being too flighty.

Miles Edgeworth had been accused of murder more times than he could count, and crowned in the head and abducted once. He had every reason to look over his shoulder. It didn't help that he never got a moment of peace between all of these insane events that he'd attracted. The time span of his more involved and dramatic cases were almost always days or less in between.

_Tap _

_Tap_

_Tap_

"Are you in there, Miles?"

"Yes. I am somewhere in here and it was nice until you interrupted me."

"Oh will you just pick a color already?"

"Fine, I will try the blue one," he conceded and took the shirt.

Something's not right. Something's not right. This feels wrong.

He continued his mantra in his mind. He hadn't felt right since he'd caught glimpse of Phoenix looking around cautiously. If even that optimist had made that sort of paranoid expression, then he knew he was well within reason. He continued to drink down his coffee.

Calm your nerves, Miles. There isn't an earthquake. This isn't an elevator. There's nothing wrong here. Maybe you were just seeing things before.

But truth was, his hands were still shaking like a leaf. His nerves were so stretched that he didn't even know how to vent the pent up frustration. For once, his excuse to Phoenix Wright about caffeine addiction had merely been a convenient additional. He was torn on what to do next. He was supposed to assist in this mission he was on.

But how could he if he literally knew nothing besides the bare minimum?

Nothing is wrong. Calm down, Miles.

Somehow, deep down…he knew better than to think that and he wished he hadn't tried to delude himself into believing that.

"Phoenix, are you sure you're up for this?" he asked, looking around.

"Hm? Miles, I already told you. Even if you hadn't asked me, I probably would have found a way in eventually. It was only a matter of time. Better sooner than later, when I'd embarrass you more."

"…You make an unfortunately point." He looked at the clean pressed shirt. He would feel so…exposed in one layer of clothing. Despite the heat, he was accustomed to at least three layers of garments.

"Go try it on. The dressing rooms are just over there. I'll be right here, so don't worry about me getting an eyeful or anything."

"Fine."

Miles made his way toward the dressing room. He stopped only for a moment to sift through a display himself, discreetly eyeballing a purple shirt anyway. He liked that color. Purple was a royal color, and while he didn't think of himself as royalty like that, he appreciated the sense of richness it gave. Perhaps if he liked the blue one…he'd take the other one too. Maybe if he threatened to force Phoenix to wear that bright hot pink atrocity, he'd cave and let him have his damned color.

He walked back into the changing area after passing the attendant. He entered one of change rooms toward the end of the small hall chamber and looked around, making sure he hadn't accidentally walked in on someone's moment there. For all the show that he was in dress style, he was all but shy of the very concept of anyone seeing beneath his many layers. He didn't necessarily lack in himself as a person, but rather himself as a personality. He was quite aware of his good looks, but mentally he was unapproachable and even callous.

He shrugged out of his jacket, vest, and the under shirt of the suit he'd simply put on out of habit. With a heaved sigh, he pulled on the button up, rich blue shirt. He closed each button, one by one, and inspected himself in the mirror. Aside from still wearing the magenta suit pants, the shirt color actually worked alright. He didn't hate it like he thought he would.

"Phoenix," he stated loud enough for the other to hear as he turned back out of the dressing room to show him. He hadn't even realized he'd called him by first name. "Are you sure this isn't too blue? I feel like someone would notice me from a block away."

Phoenix whistled and made a crude eye gesture at him, "I think it look…delicious."

"Nnngh…will you be serious," he made an irritated face back at him and kicked his shoe off and into the side of the man's face.

"I am being serious. That looks...extremely good on you. With a nice pair of black pants, you'll be good enough to eat."

Miles swiftly kicked the other shoe off at him, taking very slight satisfaction as it hit its target. "While you're drooling, you can go find me shoes."

"Okay, okay. Stop kicking shoes at me!"

"I am obviously out of shoes to kick," Miles shook his head, and turned back toward the dressing room area.

He walked back around toward one of the small rooms and went in, pulling the shirt off and place back his layers of clothing from before. He felt more comfortable in his layers, but the lighter feeling of that blue button up was refreshing, he'd admit only to himself.

Folding the shirt up in his arms, he exited the small room and started on his way back out to where he was hoping Phoenix would quickly pick something so they could get out of there in a fairly short amount of time.

Miles walked passed one of the other change rooms and saw the attendant again. He heard the man shouting something.

What in the world?

Getting closer to the exit and standing in the open, service end of the change area, he noticed something very wrong. Before he could even make a move he heard the loud…

_BANG!_

The shot cracked through the air and he stood there, numbly, splattered with fresh blood. He sunk to the floor, shaking slightly. He hadn't even had a chance to see the shooter's face before the back door of the service area was flung open and the man fled. That was when the alarm for the door sounded.

**To be continued…**

_A/N: XD Didja see that coming? Thank you so much for the reviews guys!  
><em>


	10. Shock

**Sound Effective**_  
>.10 Shock<em>

"Miles!" Phoenix's voice broke the dead silence following the gunshot. He'd heard it like it was right in his ear and without a second thought he ran back to where he'd left Miles. He stepped into the changing room, moving over to his friend in an instant. He looked him over carefully. "Are you okay?"

"…That man is dead."

Phoenix turned his head to the body haphazardly dropped on the floor. It looked like the young man they'd seen in the area before. A quick look attested to the fact that the young man had been shot in the chest. The trail of blood looked like it had been fairly short range, and the red spots that had been splattered over Miles had attested to the fact that Miles had been present for the shot.

"Did you get hit anywhere? At all?"

"No. I'm fine."

He didn't sound fine. He sounded like he was in shock, which Phoenix could understand why. As often as the Prosecutor had seen crime scenes, he hadn't been present for the initial killing blow…and being that close to a gun no less. He knew Miles was unsettled by guns and the loud cracking noises they made. He also knew that being showered in the blood of a man who was probably just an innocent bystander would leave a negative impression.

"Let's get back out into the hall, the alarm is sounding. We can all the police to investigate what happened. Did you see anything?"

"No. All I saw was the actual shot and blood." Miles stood up with help, feeling a little numb for various reasons. He back away from the scene, not able to really look away from what he'd seen. That man had been shot for what reason? Why? Why would someone just come up and shoot someone? He didn't understand. He could not understand. He couldn't get his father's memory out of his head.

This could have been some kid's father too. This could end up ruining some kid's life, just like his own life was. He simply looked at the victim. Now it was a lifeless crime scene. Someone would come in an poke and prod at him and he cringed knowing that he'd have been one of those people if he hadn't been moved from his position.

"We need to get that blood off of you, Miles."

"No. Not yet. I want to wait until the police arrive. If they attempt to blame me for it, I can prove I was in the opposite direction of the shot, due to the blood spray," he said detachedly.

I wonder if this is related. What if this is just a freak chance?

"Do you want me to get you anything?" Phoenix asked distantly, as he led Miles to take a seat on the bench just outside the dressing area.

"No. Just call the police, if you'd please."

Phoenix nodded and took a step back to give him room, reaching into his pocket for his cell phone. He punched in the emergency numbers and walked a short distance so as not to bother Miles. His eyes never left the witness as he gave all the necessary info. He was worried about the subtle shaking. He knew that wasn't from lack of caffeine.

He closed his phone and stood back for a moment. He didn't see any part of the actual incident, but he knew that could not have been done on a whim. But why on Earth would someone shoot an attendant when they could have made a much bigger statement by shooting someone that was basically a celebrity? Especially if no one would see it. Not that Phoenix wanted him to get shot. That would have destroyed him entirely. But that still seemed a little strange to him.

Miles was still inspecting the crime scene from where he was. Phoenix noted that Miles had taken his phone out and it looks like he was sending a message. With his new connection with Interpol, he thought it better not to ask and let him be. He did note that he was apparently taking some cell camera shots of the scene from there before the police were to arrive.

"Phoenix," the man said softly, "We'll leave shortly after they get here. I don't want to be caught up in this mess. I can read over the police reports later on. I'm sure Gumshoe will readily give me whatever I ask for."

"Okay. We can head back home then."

"No. We're going to stay in a hotel. I don't want to be at the condo."

"…Fair enough."

Miles looked up at Phoenix and then nodded him over. It was his subtle way of saying: "Please come over here and sit with me. Now."

"Are you sure you don't want to get the blood spots off you, Miles? I know you're trying to be tough, but you're trembling."

"I'm fine, Wright."

With that, Phoenix flinched a bit. He had been used to the occasional slips of Miles calling him by first name, so when he suddenly reverted back, he'd felt like they took a step back from before. He wanted to help him, but the man's aloof nature was making it hard to even try. He wanted to protest, but he refrained. He simply didn't want to fight with the man who just saw a murder take place in front of him. Even Miles Edgeworth had things that made him crumble inside.

"Miles Edgeworth!"

That voice. That unmistakable voice that he could go for months without having to hear again.

"Hello Franziska," Miles replied dryly without even attempting to turn to look at the woman who had arrived on scene with several other officers in tow. "Since when do you show up at the first call of an incident?"

"I heard you were involved, naturally I had no choice to be to see what kind of trouble you'd gotten yourself into. How disgraceful! What did you do this time?" She threw accusations flippantly. She was clearly still mad at him. He noticed with a distained grunt.

"I saw a man shot in front of me. I'm here because I am a witness. No other reason. Does that satisfy your curiosity?"

He couldn't see her face, neither could Phoenix; if they could, they would have seen her chiseled expression soften just a touch. "What do you mean you saw it? The actual act? Did you see the man's face who did it?"

"No. He fled out the back door, right behind the victim. I do know he was about the same height as the victim. There's a possibility that the attacker had been following me, but without seeing his face. I can't really prove it." He didn't want to mention out loud to either of them that he'd seen the same man following them. He'd seen that man before he was even contacted by Interpol, though. Well, he thought so. He wasn't entirely too sure any more.

"Will you be able to leave a statement with us?" She pressed him.

"Of course. And I doubt you'll have much of a problem letting me leave very soon, since you have my phone number."

"You will stay in the city, Miles Edgeworth!" She snapped at him quickly. "I will not chase you across the country if it turns out you're necessary for our investigation."

"I am well aware of how this system works, Franziska. I need to do some research of my own, if you don't mind. Please give me the required paperwork and I will fill it out so we can leave."

She made an annoyed face and went back to the people she'd come with in order to gather what was needed for his statement. In that time, Phoenix turned to him, casting a glance at her. "Why is she acting like you did something wrong?"

"Because she's been mad at me since she'd known me. I'm not supposed to tell anyone at all, but I may have to let her in on what went on between me an Interpol. Now I know something for sure, though."

"What's that?"

"Someone at Interpol is lying. Someone left out information. And I will find out what. Also, before we leave, I need to purchase those things. I need you to pick out a pair of sneakers for me still. You are familiar with this. I want to leave in casual wear, so I can't be spotted easily."

The defense attorney nodded, but wanted to ask what he meant by his statement before, but he was cut short by the woman's return. He would ask him soon enough.

**To Be Continued…**

_A/N omg, I stayed up way too late to write this. Sorry if it fell flatter than the last chapter, but I needed this one to be a transition to the next part. I've kind of got a plan here. MUCH LOVE, thanks for sticking with me for my tenth day straight!_


	11. Embrace

_A/N: I didn't error proof. Omg. I'm sorry in advance. _

**Sound Effective**_  
>.11 Embrace<em>

"These shoes feel…awkward."

"They're great shoes though," Phoenix assured, as he put the dress shoes in the box while Miles tied up the ones he'd just been brought and walked around in them.

"I feel like I'm going to fall over. Why are they shaped like this?"

"They're toning shoes, but I find that they're really good for contouring to feet. You have high arches, so these will keep you from having to put insoles in. And stairs will be a snap."

Miles let out a dry snort, "You sound like a shoe salesman."

"I swear by them. I don't have a fancy car to ride around in, so I do a lot of walking and bike riding. These shoes are always in my backpack when I'm out. It's not like they're cheap shoes…well, to you they may be. But they're Sketchers. Those are relatively hip shoes."

"Go grab you a pair, and let's go."

"I already have a p-"

"Argue with me. Do it. I dare you."

The other man gave a weak grin and held his hands up defensively. "Okay, okay. Stop giving me the cold glare. I'm not arguing."

"Well hurry up then," he pointed at him, "I have a few things I'd like to do after we leave here."

The other man left as instructed and gathered what he was told, as well as the other shirts that Miles said he was okay with. In addition, he pulled one more and hid it between the others. He'd enjoy that amusement later on, so for the time being, he thought it best not to mention that little addition. It was a small start, but maybe this would make the rigid man relax a little more. He was a little worried about his mental state, even if Miles was back to acting like nothing happened at all. It wasn't uncommon for the stoic man to pretend he didn't have problems.

"Okay, which shirt do you want to leave out of here in?" Phoenix asked walking back.

"I suppose the blue one will do," Miles answered, standing to pull his wallet from his pocket, slipping a card out of the holder. He noted the lack of hands Phoenix had free and simply stuck the corner of the card in the man's mouth, so his teeth would hold it. "You go buy, I will go change." He took the blue shirt from the top and one of the pairs of pants from over his shoulder. He carefully pulled the tags from both, and slipped them just above the card, also to be held in Phoenix's mouth. "Do not worry; I believe you can do it."

Phoenix made a mumble that served as a reply and left for the desk as Miles headed in the direction of the bathroom. Part of him wanted to follow him after the last time, but he didn't want to scare Miles either. Well, not 'scare', but make him uncomfortable.

He stalked carefully to the checkout counter and was greeted by a lady with an apprehensive smile. She must have heard about what happened on the farther side of the department store. He wasn't surprised she seemed uneasy. Anyone would with a mad man possibly running loose.

"Hello there, are you ready to check out?"

"Yes ma'am," was what he attempted, but it came out more like a muffled mess of sounds. He place the items in his hands on her counter and reached up to take the card and tags from his mouth. "Ahem, yes, ma'am. Sorry for that. I had my hands full. Haha," he grinned. "Oh, I also have these two tags. My friend is gonna wear those items out, so he wanted me to bring the tags for checkout."

"Oh that's quite alright. You were with the man in the magenta suit, correct?"

"Yes. He's also got the real shoes in the box here. The ones that are in it are his other ones."

"Not a problem. I have all I need here for the tags." She smiled as she rang each item up. "All of these on one ticket?"

"Hm? Yes ma'am."

"I was just making sure; you've got different sized articles in here."

"I trust what he put in the pile. And I know what I picked out is right. So if there's a problem, we'll just bring them back."

She continued to ring up the items laid out and placed them into two large bags next to her, separating the, by size. "The total comes to 664.08."

Phoenix's jaw slid open a little at the total and he handed the card over blankly. He never imagined spending that much money in one run. Well, the shoes were a hundred bucks a pair, but the rest of that still added up to a pretty hefty number. Miles was a high maintenance man, though. So somehow, the more casual man didn't think he would even flinch at the number. He did just buy a condo, after all.

"Here's your card back," the cashier's voice brought him back to reality. "If you'll sign here for me, please." She handed him a pen and a slip of paper.

He didn't know whether or not he should sign it. Miles gave him the card to use, but it still wasn't his. He didn't exactly want to bring that up to her, but if he signed his name she would probably notice…if he signed Miles's name, he would be committing forgery…

"You can sign it, Wright," came the voice over his shoulder. It was the owner of the card in question. "If anyone has problems, then they can call me up personally." He was adjusting the buttons on his shirt, and brushing the invisible dust off his shoulders. He was probably not used to such clothing to begin with.

"How does it feel?"

"Surprisingly comfortable. I feel like I should be running in these shoes, though."

With a good look, Phoenix noted that Miles had chosen a good combination. The blue shirt wasn't too light and it went very well tucked in with the black slacks and the Sketchers he'd picked that had white stripes on them. He though those shoes looked fitting for him especially. Those long legs belonged to a runner. Those long legs could take on stairs like no one's business too.

"Awesome. You know, you look really charming in casual wear."

Miles coughed to clear his throat and rolled his eyes, retrieving his card from the man's hand. "Don't be absurd." He made a polite bow to the cashier and took the bags, setting one on the floor and rooting through the other. "Hm." He then switched the bag's positions until he came upon what he was looking for: a pair of gray slacks and a rich deep red shirt, very similar to his own, except with shorter sleeves. He turned back to his companions and held them out. "Change."

"Eh?"

"I told you I wasn't the only one being subjected to this. Go. And here are the shoes too. I'd rather walk out of here as both of us casually. You're still in your suit."

"Uh…Thanks. You didn't really need to. I have clothes at h-"

Miles simply pointed in the direction of the rest room, where he had changed.

"You are increasingly harder to argue with as this goes on."

"Good."

Phoenix shrugged in defeat and turned on his way. He did like the colors chosen, though he noted—amused—that the colors between them had been inverted. He wondered if it was a sign as to how much they were different. Somehow it didn't change how much he felt for him.

Those thoughts continued to pool in his head as he went through the motions of changing into another look. He regretted many of the things that led to his temporary fall from legal grace, but just like how he started, he came back for Miles. Somehow, that man had been part of everything he did for eighteen or so years. They'd been pitted against each other, they worked together, he saved Miles, Miles saved him…Miles disappeared…then so did he.

All things that would ultimately be worth the end result. He hoped anyway. He didn't want to let more stupid things set back their lives.

He folded his suit lazily and piled all of his previously worn items together. Without any hesitation he made his way back. His casual steps led him back to Miles, who was sitting on a different bench than the last one, with his back to Phoenix. His shoulder were slightly slumped and he was looking down at the floor. Both hands were placed on the bench as well, so he figured that Miles wasn't messing with his phone.

A strong urge made him move closer to that man, dropping his bag by the other one. His arms found their ways to Miles, and snaked around his neck. Leaning closer, he felt the man's posture stiffen suddenly, but relax once he realized who it was. Phoenix pressed his cheek to Miles's and embraced him from behind. "I know you're not as okay as you say you are," he whispered, "but we're going to figure this all out. You don't need to bottle every bit of it up and hide it away from me."

As if he had been struck by lightening, Miles flinched and closed his eyes. He didn't want to be hit with the trust that Phoenix had this tendency to call out of him, but he wasn't that okay. He had stood in the bathroom, wiping a dead man's blood off his face and out of his hair. A man he'd seen alive moments before.

For the first time ever, Miles didn't shun away from someone's embrace, but instead, simply sat there; taking a moment to relish in the living breathing warmth of another human. He didn't return it, but he didn't need to. His eyes just remained closed, his face pressed to his friend's.

He whispered softly, almost so much that the other man couldn't hear it, "Thank you."

**To Be Continued…**

_A/N: I hope I'm still in character with them. I'm trying to use what I've seen from the games and the manga casefiles. Which…are probably not the best ones to use as far as the manga goes XD_


	12. Analyze

**Sound Effective**_  
>.12 Analyze<em>

"I have looked over every piece of information they gave me at least a hundred times, and I can't find anything contradictory in it."

"Maybe there are no contradictions in it then," Phoenix replied, bringing him a cup of coffee as he returned from the counter of the shop they'd decided to stop in.

"There has got to be. All of this information is about the man I told you before. A Kimberly Clark, 42 years old, convicted felon for robbery and two counts of forgery. I was held for five years in the state penitentiary. They have evidence that highly _suggests_ he's involved in the human trafficking ring. But there's no definitive proof for even that."

"Hey wait, what information do they have on this trafficking thing?"

"Honestly, there's hardly anything concrete here at all. All they have is proof that it exists. That's because of one escaped victim. A young female, age 19. She confirmed some details, but she's also experiencing post traumatic stress, so it's hard to say what is legit information, on top of that…she didn't see any faces of any of the men she says she heard when she was abducted. She did say she knows there's 'maybe about 20 other women'. Which is concurrent with the local missing persons reports that have recent disappearances of 23 women of the same age."

"That sounds odd. They are pinning it on this guy, but they can't even connect it?"

Miles set the cluster of papers back on the table in front of him, "It seems like they're fishing for something doesn't it?"

"Perhaps we can talk to the witness. She may know something."

"No," Miles said, shaking his head. "They told me that she's in traumatic shock still. Anything she says may not be reliable because of it. But I wonder… They found her by the docks. Perhaps some investigation out there would be beneficial. I could probably get Gumshoe to assist, so we wouldn't be without some sort of backup."

"That sounds like a good idea, but perhaps that's best saved for tomorrow, Miles." Phoenix gave him a concerned look, he knew the man just wanted to solve this all in one shot, but that could take days and that man needed to let his mind wrap around what he'd witnessed.

It looked like Miles was going to protest, but one look at Phoenix made his jaw pop back up and he conceded with a head shake. "Very well. Perhaps we should go make the hotel arrangements then. Until I get the security system fully installed back at the condo, I'd rather be in a place that would be rather hard to get into."

"Of course. I'm along for the ride. Unless it involves you somehow hurting yourself, I'll follow whatever you want to do."

The man across the table gave him a blank stare in response, "You are being so obedient, it is unnerving."

"I'm just worried, that's all."

"I'm not going to break, Phoenix Wright. I've been through worse. Half of which involve you molesting me in public."

"I know, but this isn't the same as the usual cases. This is a threat to you, among other things."

"We don't even know if he was targeting me, or if I just happened to walk the corner when the shot was fired. For all we know, that murder may have been a complete fluke. That man may not have even been the man I thought I saw. Furthermore, I didn't see his face, so there is no definitive way to prove yes or no, anyway."

"That's true."

Miles looked back through the sheets of paper, noting the organization of the information. There was nothing different than the last time he'd looked, but that didn't stop him from inspecting every little detail in hopes of finding more answers. "I just don't think he's alone. This guy they suspect. They would have more information if he was really the mastermind on this."

"Well, we'll figure it out in due time. Stop thinking about it. You're going to give yourself a migraine."

"I will not. I need to think about it. That's how you solve things, Wright," he pointed at the man and noted the sudden presence of another person.

"Yo Nick!"

"Er….oh…Larry."

Miles leaned back into the chair and just groaned. This was not the first person in his list of people he wanted to see. Yes, it was their friend from grade school, but Larry was always timely with trouble. He didn't appear to bring a cloud of threatening nature with him, but you could never be sure.

"What are you two doin' here? I heard some weird stuff in the paper about you guys, what's going on?"

Ah yes, rumors. The ones that got out of control. The ones that probably will follow me until I spontaneously combust.

_Screech_

_Thump_

And that was the sound of Larry pulling up a chair to join them. One of the last things that needed to happen at that particular moment. "Talk to me guys. I haven't heard a peep from either of you in a week!"

"Larry, you went a lot longer than a week before, without speaking to us."

"Fifteen years without my presence," Miles chimed in.

"Yeah, but back then, you were on TV about it. I mean, it's everywhere man. Don't you guys pay attention?"

Phoenix gave Larry a look that spoke volumes about his reluctance to acknowledge the subject, "We're somewhat busy with important things."

"Oh? What kind of important, stuff? You can tell me, man."

Miles deftly stepped in, just in case Phoenix was that stupid. He didn't think the man would compromise their secrecy that easily, but there was no willingness to take a chance. "We cannot discuss it. It's confidential."

"Aw man, we're buds!"

"Just knock it off. We'll sit lunch with you, just don't ask any more questions. I'm not even supposed to know anything, okay?" It was Phoenix who produced the sensible words required to make Larry concede. It was probably for the better, because Miles was read to kick him out of the chair and tell him to go on about his own business.

All he wanted was progress, and so far, he'd made none. None at all.

**To Be Continued…**

_A/N: Unexpected things let to a delay in writing, but now that I've gotten my ducks in a row, daily posting should return to normal. _


End file.
